


The Stars Above the Horizon

by NanakiBH



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, Quiet, Romantic Gestures, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 11:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14019627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: Together, they were going to see many skies.





	The Stars Above the Horizon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Exile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Exile/gifts).



> Written for the Age Gap Exchange on Dreamwidth, for my recipient, The_Exile. Their prompt was "airships". (I hope you don't mind if I took it a little liberally.)
> 
> I hadn't thought about this ship before, so I decided to play a bit of the game again to refresh my memory and ended up replaying the whole thing. lol I liked the game even more than I did the first time, and I'm fond of this ship now, too. I hope this satisfies your expectations, The_Exile!

The night air was salty on his tongue. The corners of his eyes stung slightly with the movements of the breeze, forming tears. Vaan breathed it all in and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the waves and the silence in between. Occasionally, there was the sound of a night bird, its voice traveling and disappearing across the sea. He'd never experienced anything quite like that moment.

It wasn't his idea of exciting, but it was good.

He was starting to find an appreciation for the simpler things. As he found, not all treasures were made of sparkling gold. There was a unique value to the everyday, to the things he'd taken for granted and overlooked. Simple moments of peace were worth more than anything in the world. Peasants and rich men alike would beg for those moments when they came in short supply.

That was the freedom of a sky pirate. Treasures of gold and silver were secondary to the liberation found among the clouds.

He was growing up, wasn't he?

Or maybe he'd already become some kind of adult without noticing. Those mature thoughts felt remarkably out of place in his head. They stood out.

After everything they went through, it might've just been a matter of course. At the point that he had one foot out of Rabanastre, he knew that he couldn't step back inside and go back to the way his life had been up until that point. An actual, real life sky pirate had caught him by the hand and invited him to the sky. He wouldn't have been able to turn down that invitation even if he'd tried. For a long, long time, his mind had already been made up, and his heart was in agreement.

He held on to that hand firmly and followed him beyond the narrow walls of his small world.

 

“Thank you, Balthier.”

 

With a somewhat confused utterance, Balthier turned his head back to look at him. He was crouched in the sand where the low tide licked the toes of his boots. Between the two of them, he looked like the childish one, picking up the smooth little rocks around him, tossing them across the water, counting the number of times they skipped over the waves.

Confusion melting into a soft grin, he tossed one of the rocks to Vaan.

Vaan caught it. He rubbed his fingers over its smooth surface and smiled.

“What are you thanking me for, hm? We haven't seen anything yet,” Balthier said, his voice holding an air of giddy excitement.

The Strahl was slow by no means, yet it took them almost all day to reach that spot. Balthier came to him with an old map he received from an acquaintance in exchange for something of his that they'd wanted. What Balthier sacrificed was no mere trifle, but he apparently found more value in the mystery of whatever awaited at the map's coordinates.

They followed its directions far out across the sea and made it to an island. From the air, the island looked tiny, but they knew there had to be secrets hiding within its dense, jungle-like forestation. For the time, they were going to have to rest on the beach until morning came to provide them with the light necessary for exploring. By the look of things, they were completely alone. They had yet to encounter even a single monster. As long as they kept to the shore, it seemed like they would be able to safely pass the night.

“You didn't have to bring me,” Vaan said, moving closer to stand next to where Balthier was crouched. “Fran is your copilot. You're partners, aren't you? So what's up? An uncharted island seems pretty special to me. Why bring me instead of her?”

“Who said it was a choice of either/or?” Balthier asked. He tossed another stone out across the water, but it sunk after only two skips. He made a face.

Vaan expected him to explain, but he was unexpectedly quiet after that. He watched Balthier as he sorted through the stones in his palm, deciding which one to throw next. He turned around briefly as if just to make sure that Vaan was still watching and flashed him a grin before tossing the next one out. That time, it skipped six times and went farther than any of the others he'd throw before it.

Seeming pleased that time, Balthier cleared his throat and pushed himself up. When standing next to each other, Vaan still felt small.

“I wanted you to be my copilot today,” he said. “That's all.”

Feeling suddenly nervous, Vaan rubbed the back of his head. “That's an awfully important position. Fran didn't mind?”

“Course not. In fact, this was partially her idea.”

“Partially, huh,” Vaan repeated skeptically. That meant that it was also partially Balthier's idea. It sounded like he just didn't want to take full responsibility. Did he have something to be embarrassed about?

“What, would you have rather stayed home?”

“Not what I'm saying at all.” Vaan gave him a light shove and felt proud of himself for making Balthier laugh. Although it felt a little difficult to get the words out, the atmosphere remained unchanged. It was still calm. The waves were still easy and gentle. “It's just... Isn't this unusually romantic for you? I'm not used to you being so straightforward. Although, I think it would've been easier to ask me out directly. You didn't have to come up with an uncharted island as an excuse.”

Balthier's smile looked young in the moonlight.

“Think of it as a graduation present.”

“Graduation?” Vaan's eyes searched the sand. When he figured out what Balthier was trying to say, he felt his face get warmer. “I-... I see how it is. You're ready to recognize me as a real sky pirate, is that it? It's not like I need you're approval, you know.”

He liked having it, though.

Always, he'd been determined to make Balthier see him as a capable sky pirate. He realized that it was about more than just stealing some treasure. He had to have the right attitude, the right presence, the guts. Having gotten closer to him, feeling more comfortable at his side, for a while, he already knew. Balthier didn't have to say it, and he certainly didn't have to treat his change in perception as a momentous occasion, but...

Vaan was happy.

He didn't expect him to suddenly change overnight, of course. Balthier was still going to be Balthier. He was still going to make jokes and mess around with him, but his feelings were no longer a mystery.

They might've been obvious from the beginning, Vaan realized. Maybe he just hadn't known how to see them.

Things were clearer. Like the sky and the innumerable stars above them.

 

He took a step forward, letting the water slip around his boots. Opening his hand, he considered the stone in the center of his palm, but he resisted the temptation to toss it. He curled his fingers around it protectively and put it in his pocket. The island was probably hiding a great treasure, but he'd already found a fine treasure in the memory made at that moment.

A pebble whizzed past him, flying out over the water toward the distance.

When he turned, Balthier grabbed his hand and placed another stone in his palm.

“Throw it this time,” he said. “I wasn't intending for you to start a rock collection.”

“What if I keep this one, too?” Vaan asked.

“It's just a rock.”

 

Like the treasure Balthier had given up to have that moment with him and only him...

 

Vaan chucked the rock across the water as hard as he could. It didn't skip. His overhand pitch sunk it straight into the water.

“Ah-...”

He stared at the place where the rock's ripples had already been swallowed by the waves. Before Balthier could make a witty comment about his pathetic technique, Vaan grabbed the first stone from his pocket. Without hesitation, he sent it flying.

Balthier gave an impressed whistle.

“Might've gone even farther than mine...”

“Might've?” Vaan quipped. “It _definitely_ went farther.” And he didn't regret throwing it one bit.


End file.
